Enabling greater competitiveness

With a thriving automotive industry, India is expected to grow into the world’s third-largest passenger-vehicle market by 2021. To compete in the global automotive market, however, India’s OEMs need to pursue a transition to Industry 4.0 to boost efficiency, reduce production costs, minimize defects, and shorten time to market.

Hirotec India supplies closure assembly and hemming technology to the automotive industry in India and internationally. Hemming refers to the installation of vehicle closure panels, such as the hood and door panels, and involves bending/folding the outer panels so that they fit perfectly over the inner panels. The accuracy of this process is crucial for the appearance and quality of the finished product.

Hirotec India faced the challenge of delivering automotive closure assembly line for their customers in a short time span with their existing setup and manpower.

For a project in Vietnam, Hirotec had an ambitious timetable of just 24 weeks. The company therefore required a solution that would significantly reduce development and commissioning time.

"TIA Portal helped us to develop the programs concurrently and it seamlessly integrated all the bits of the programs saving time and we experienced a seamless development environment." Sendtil Parthasarathy – Director and Executive Vice President, Business Development, Hirotec India

Simulation

S7-PLCSIM Advanced allows comprehensive simulation of functions in a
virtual environment during configuration and engineering. By generating
what-if scenarios – using NXMCD – it provides a platform for parallel
working and saves significant time by carrying out tests before the real
machine exists.

Standardization

The Siemens solutions TIA Portal and SIMATIC Visualization Architect (SiVArc) were crucial in implementing company standards for Hirotec with regard to the PLC program and HMI screens. This quickly raises productivity by reducing configuration time and preventing errors, particularly in recurring tasks.

Safety

PROFISafe – an open solution for safety-related communication – helps achieve safety standards throughout the closure assembly line. Safety Integrated uses the customer's existing network structure for safety-relevant data, with significant cost savings as there is no need for a separate safety solution.

Digital solutions reduce costs and enhance productivity

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Reduction in development time thanks to PLC simulation

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Reduction in costs due to Integrated Safety function

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Faster creation of HMI screens with typical faceplates

TIA Portal is the key enabler – your gateway to digitalization and Industry 4.0. Siemens was able to support Hirotec in addressing the key industrial challenges.

Manisha Priyadarshini – Business Development, Siemens India

A seamless development environment

With the right products, Siemens played a crucial role in the customer’s journey towards industry 4.0.

With S7-PLCSIM Advanced, Hirotec was able to simulate machines in a virtual world, leading to a 10% reduction in development time. Engineering time was further reduced thanks to SiVArc, which allowed Hirotec to become 20% faster in creating HMI screens with typical faceplates. The time required for Prove out of Automation was cut by half. Instead of ten days in engineering, only five days were needed for completion of the logic.

The Multiuser Engineering feature in TIA Portal allows multiple users to work on a project together and simultaneously. By processing different objects in parallel, the project planning and commissioning times can be significantly shortened. Hirotec’s engineering timeline was reduced from 30 working days to just 12.

Finally, the Integrated Safety function allowed Hirotec to achieve a 15% reduction in costs while maintaining safety standards at all levels.

S7-1500 controller has the vertical integration capability through OPC UA, it is compatible with Industry 4.0, This was one of the best feature which we could offer to Hirotec.

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